Development of an efficient method for primary chondrocyte isolation from articular cartilage

• Main Author: Huang, Derrick WeiLiang
• Other Authors: Wang Dongan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Bioengineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/61557
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The number of patients suffering from osteoarthritis, resulting in loss of good human life qualities, is increasing exponentially around the world. This does not only affect older generations but also the younger ones due to injury. To make matter worst, the avascular characteristics of cartilage results in a tough challenge for medical personnel to find the optimum condition for cartilage regeneration. Regenerative medicine has become a major research topic in recent years so as to find methods to repair or regenerate damaged or lost organs or tissues. Especially for cartilage regeneration, it has become a highly interested field of research as it is possible for anyone to suffer from osteoarthritis and articular cartilage injury. Autologous chondrocyte isolation has proved to yield high result in cartilage regeneration. Chondrocyte isolated from patient can be expanded in-vitro, seeded onto the scaffold and transplanted back to the required site. Enhancement to the autologous chondrocyte isolation for cartilage regeneration is constantly carried out to reduce time taken or increase efficiency. Chondrocyte isolation requires a lot of time and the yield is often low therefore the aim is to develop an efficient method for to improve yield, quality and increase efficiency. Improved chondrocyte isolation will means a shorter time required to achieve the same amount of chondrocytes and cartilage regeneration. Multiple collagenase digestion strategy was carried out to improve the yield of chondrocytes isolated with the same amount of cartilage extracted. The extracted cartilage undergoes three times of collagenase digestion to optimally extract the chondrocytes which will be used for the expansion. The extracted chondrocytes are tested to check on the quality and quantity and the quantitative and qualitative test shows positive results and the extraction yields a better and higher quality.